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SUVA, Fiji (Fijilive, Feb. 3) - Fiji Labor Party supports the call by United General Party that all Fiji citizens should be grouped under one banner, `Fijians’ and not grouped as Indo-Fijians, Melanesians, Party Europeans or Others.

United General Party leader Mick Beddoes had first made the call at the "Goodwill Conference" in Suva over the weekend.

Beddoes had asked why it has become a norm that one has to put down in black and white that he or she is a Fijian, Indo-Fijian, Rotuman or Chinese.

FLP spokesperson, John Ali said all Fiji citizens who are living here should be called Fijians as they all are legal citizens of Fiji.

Ali said why Indians, who have been living here for generations, are grouped as Indo-Fijians and other non-indigenous people are called ‘Others’.

"If people living in New Zealand are New Zealanders, people living in America are called Americans while Australian citizens are called Australians so why is that Fiji citizens...

It came after the latest series of arson attacks - during Christmas and New Year - could not be solved by the police.

A man lost his hand after he was knifed, more than 100 gardens damaged, 40 houses destroyed and four nakamals burnt down.

The main areas of damage were at Lebutsesap and Nokowanet.

Natapei's Private Secretary Daniel Bangtor explained that the ceremony at Nokowanet village was the result of an operation conducted by the Police in September 2001.

During this the police mistreated the custom chiefs, some of whom are Tanmonoks (paramount chiefs) in the area. The police ill-treatment of the chiefs resulted in law enforcement officers being banned from...

He was seconded to serve in Kosovo, which is recovering from a bitter ethnic conflict between Serbs and local Muslims. Morrell's duties included being deputy director of the Kosovo police service school.

In Solomon Islands, Morrell will lead efforts to rebuild the police after the more than two years of ethnic conflict here, and end law and order problems.

Australia and New Zealand have already been doing work in this area, with New Zealand officers working alongside Solomon Islands counterparts as mentors.

SUVA, Fiji (fijivillage.com/PINA, Feb. 2) - The Fiji Electricity Authority, which generates and supplies power, is appealing to businesses and home users to cut their use of electricity.

Acting Chief Executive Rokoseru Nabalarua said the authority faces a critical situation as it tries to maintain power levels and avoid increasing its charges.

The suspected impact of the El Nino weather pattern has cut rainfall in the country's west, with the Monosavu hydropower lake now 19 meters below maximum levels. As a result, the utility has had to run its diesel generators more because of the loss of power from the hydro scheme, which serves the main island, Viti Levu.

Meanwhile, fuel costs are rising because of crises such as the fear of war in the Middle East, and the utility faces a massive repair bill of FJD$3.2 million in the country's north because of the devastation from Cyclone Ami last month.

SUVA, Fiji (Fijilive, Feb. 3) - It may be a sign of the times for the struggling township of Labasa but hundreds of people are turning up at the doorstep of a self-made guru to get their fortunes told.

Everyday, the Labasa Sangam Temple where Guruji Varadaraja operates is busier than a small town health clinic and people have to take numbers in order to see him.

With the little town plunging into recession, it may not be a surprise to see the large daily turnout as people go in search of destiny. Mostly, they want to have their palms read and want to know everything Varadaraja can tell them about their lives.

While fortune telling is not a new business in Labasa, what sets Varadaraja apart from most is that he uses a computer software called Parashar Hora Shastra to complement his predictions and although the service is done for free, people have to pay a small fee for the computer printouts.

HAGATNA, Guam (Marianas Variety, Feb. 3) A Guam Visitors Bureau-sponsored delegation of travel officials will go to Seoul, Korea to meet with airline officials there to persuade Asiana Airlines and Korean Airlines not to reduce their seat capacities to Guam.

"While visitors from Korea are considered a growth market, there is a steady erosion of seat capacity from that country which impacts Guam’s struggling tourist-based economy," said GVB General Manager Tony Lamorena.

Guam has experienced a 20 percent reduction in airline seat capacity over the last year due to low demand, loss of a direct flight route, and reconfiguration of aircraft.

"Increasing airline seat capacity and convincing the Korean travel industry that Guam is an aggressive promotional partner will be the major mission of the delegation trip," Lamorena said.

The delegation will also meet with major travel wholesalers, travel trade press, and host a travel agent seminar. The delegation will...

PORT VILA, Vanuatu (RNZI, Feb. 3) - Vanuatu has indicated that it will allow Papuan separatists to open an embassy in Port Vila despite threats from Indonesia that it will sever diplomatic ties.

Government spokesman Daniel Bangtor, says the Papuan request is in line with Vanuatu’s longstanding support to territories seeking independence

He says Vanuatu’s support goes back before its own independence in 1980.

Bangtor says as an independent country, Vanuatu has right to allow Papuans to open an embassy in Port Vila.

"It’s a gesture of support towards the West Papuans and to comply with our foreign supply to support territories still struggling to gain their independence. We can understand the Indonesian government is concerned about its sovereignty but likewise, as a sovereign state, the Vanuatu government must be concerned about its sovereign power to make its own decision," said Bangtor.

SAIPAN, CNMI (Marianas Variety, Jan. 31) - Amid the economic uncertainties, Saipan’s population grew by 4 percent and more individuals found jobs during a two-year period. That’s according to a federally-funded survey conducted last year.

The unemployment rate among U.S. citizens in the labor force remained higher than those of non-U.S. citizens.

The results of the 300-page American Community Survey showed that Saipan’s population reached 67,011 in April 2002.

This is about 4 percent higher than the island’s population of 64,324 in 2000.

Saipan was home to 30,542 U.S. citizens at the time of the survey, and they remained outnumbered by non-U.S. citizens, mostly non-resident workers from the Philippines, 13,542; and China, 12,654.

There were 36,469 non-U.S. citizens working or residing on Saipan at the time of the survey which was conducted by the Department of Commerce.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.